Faith

My dear friends in Christ,

Today’s Gospel reports two stories of healing. One story tells us about a Father’s great love for his dying daughter. The other story tells us about a desperate woman who risks much as she seeks healing from Jesus. In each story, the request for healing is itself a courageous act of faith, and yet very different circumstances are represented by the lives of each suffering person. Jairus is a distraught official who approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal his daughter whose health is deteriorating. As Jesus leaves with Jairus, Mark describes a second person who seeks healing from Jesus, a woman with a hemorrhage. This woman secretly touches Jesus from behind and is immediately cured. In response, Jesus turns and asks who touched Him. The contrasts between Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage are stark and revealing. One is a man, the other is a woman. One is a public official, an important person in the community. The other is a woman who has lost everything to find a cure to a condition that separated her from the community. One approaches Jesus publicly. The other approaches Jesus secretly. Yet in each case, faith leads them to seek out Jesus in their time of need.

I want to congratulate Fr. Chris, Fr. Kevin, Fr. H. Todd, Fr. Carlos, Fr. Fernando, and myself (the Ordination Class of 2011) on their 10th Anniversary of their Priesthood serving the Diocese of Trenton. All six of us are still in ministry and ask for your prayers. We will have a light reception at some point during the summer to celebrate my milestone and my 5th Anniversary here at Corpus Christi.

May God bless you all,

Father John